Sports

Rumor: South Carolina's Eric Hyman to Become Texas A&M's New AD

Rumors are flying around today as reports have been to surface that South Carolina athletic director, Eric Hyman, will be named the next athletic director at Texas A&M.

Hyman has been the mastermind behind several great things around the South Carolina athletic program such as the new Carolina Stadium, new football video board and purchase of the old Farmer's Market area across the street from Williams-Brice Stadium. He's also responsible for turning the financial situation of the athletic department around and has the Gamecocks on new heights across the board in all athletics.

SportsTalkGoLive.com has referenced a report from TexasAgs.com as the source for the Hyman to Texas A&M news. His name began to make the rounds seemingly out of nowhere on Thursday as several sites began to confirm that Hyman was on the short list for retiring AD Bill Byrne of A&M.

This would be a huge blow to the South Carolina athletic program as Hyman has done wonders during his seven years in Columbia, South Carolina. It's hard to imagine where the Gamecocks would be without his leadership over the years and he seemed like he was here for the long run after saying no to the UNC athletic director job recently.

Texas A&M does offer the comfort of "home" for Hyman. He has family in the area and spent a lot of time in the state of Texas as TCU's AD before moving over to the Gamecocks' position. They are all set to join the SEC in a mere few days and he's highly thought of around the conference and nation. It's easy to see why Hyman would be at the top of the list for the Aggies.

Now obviously this is all rumors at this point. There is no definitive word on the Hyman move to A&M but it's certainly something worth watching.

If Hyman does leave, who becomes the next Gamecocks' athletic director? The man in the picture is a good start.

Ray Tanner has told many around him he would be interested in the athletic director's position should it open up at South Carolina. He spent time at N.C. State as the associate athletic director so he does have experience in a similar role. He's obviously been occupied with baseball, but after winning back-to-back national titles and almost a third, would Tanner think he's done enough on the field to move behind a desk? I could see him thinking of this as a new challenge and be ready to step aside and hand the job to assistant coach Chad Holbrook.

The baseball program is obviously in great hands with Ray Tanner but would certainly continue under the leadership of Holbrook. Tanner knows this and could be an extra boost for him to push for the AD job if Hyman does in fact leave South Carolina.

This would be an attractive job around the country and could draw some serious candidates. As much as Ray Tanner has done for South Carolina, you'd still want to have options just in case. There are no other names that come to mind at this point but look for this to be very attractive to some high-profile replacements.

It seems like this will be something that happens quick. We could get official word as early as Friday. I'd make sure to stay close to your smartphones, laptops, or whatever it is you use to find the news.